Description
Studies on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have increasingly paid attention to the role of communication as a means through which companies can positively influence business practices and society at large. In response to stakeholders’ growing concerns about social and environmental issues, companies are expected to communicate more effectively their CSR initiatives. Nevertheless, CSR communication is a “double edge” weapon, since it can also attract stakeholders’ attention and evoke scepticism on the substantive enactment of what is communicated in CSR reports and other means.
This focus theme has two main objectives: first, it seeks to investigate how companies frame their CSR communication in a bid to gain legitimacy at an international level, to enhance their reputation towards stakeholders, institutions, and society, as well as how these companies react to stakeholders’ critiques.
Second, it explores how companies put CSR talk into practice, by investigating the emergence and functioning of a wide range of CSR policies (e.g. Creating Shared Value) and of new sustainable business models like Benefit Corporations.
Daniele Dalli
Matteo Corciolani
Elisa Giuliani
Ashlee Humphreys
Elena Piani
Annamaria Tuan
Valentina De Marchi
Dalli, D., Gandolfo A., Gravina A., Tuan A. 2017. Theories and methods in CSR communication studies. A systematic review, CSR Communication Conference, Vienna, 21-24 Ottobre
Tuan, A., Corciolani, M., Dalli, D., Gandolfo, A. 2015. Emerging economy multinational firms: Discovering topics and trends through the automatic content analysis of CSR and Annual reports, Competitive Paper, XII Convegno Annuale della Società Italiana Marketing, Torino, 22-23 Ottobre, ISBN 978-88-907662-4-4.
Corciolani, M., Dalli, D., Gandolfo, A., Giuliani, E., Tuan, A. 2015. What do emerging economy firms actually disclose in their CSR reports? A longitudinal analysis, 3rd Workshop on Business Ethics, Brussels, 5-6 November, ISSN 2406-4130.
Tuan, A., Corciolani, M., Dalli, D., Gandolfo, A. 2015. Corporate Social Responsibility disclosure in Emerging Countries. Evidence from a content analysis of Chinese CSR and Annual Reports, Competitive Paper (Abstract published), 6th EMAC Regional Conference, WU Vienna, Austria, September 16-18, ISBN 978-3-200-04265-0.
